The United States has expressed its condolences to Ghana following the military helicopter crash that claimed eight lives, including two senior government ministers.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce conveyed America’s sympathies to President John Dramani Mahama and the Ghanaian people, describing the deaths as “tragic” and stating that the US stands “united in prayer” with the victims’ families.
“The United States expresses its condolences to President John Dramani Mahama and the people and government of Ghana on the eight tragic deaths in today’s helicopter crash,” Ms Bruce said in an official statement.
The American response comes as Ghana observes three days of national mourning declared by President Mahama, who has suspended all public engagements following what he described as a national calamity. Flags remain at half-mast across the country indefinitely.
Defence Minister Dr Edward Omane Boamah and Environment, Science and Innovation Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed were among those killed when the Ghana Armed Forces Z-9 helicopter crashed in a remote forested area of the Adansi Akrofuom District.
The aircraft was travelling to Obuasi in the Ashanti Region when it lost radar contact before being discovered wreckage in woodland. Five other officials and military personnel also perished in the incident.
The helicopter had been carrying a government delegation tasked with launching a mining development programme in the gold-rich region.
International tributes have continued to pour in from regional leaders, diplomatic missions, and global organisations, expressing solidarity with Ghana during this difficult period.
The crash represents one of the most significant losses of government officials in Ghana’s recent history, sending shockwaves through the West African nation’s political establishment.
National security and aviation authorities are conducting a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash, though the cause remains undetermined.
Ghana’s aviation sector has faced scrutiny over safety standards in recent years, with this incident marking the country’s deadliest air disaster in more than a decade.
